


I Didn't Know

by whumpsie_daisy



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, FebuWhump2021, Gen, Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), febuwhumpday10
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 22:41:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29339988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whumpsie_daisy/pseuds/whumpsie_daisy
Summary: Tears slipped down Arthur’s cheeks as he held the lifeless body of his closest friend in his arms. Merlin lay still and pale as he clutched him tight, boneless like a puppet with its strings cut. It was impossible to believe that mere minutes ago, Merlin had shown himself to be the most powerful man on the battlefield. Blinding light had burst forth from his hand, severing Morgana’s forces and crippling the witch. For the first time, Arthur realised just how strong the man who had stood by his side all these years truly was.After an arduous battle, Arthur tries to come to terms with Merlin's magic. But is it too little too late?
Relationships: Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 60
Collections: febuwhump 2021





	I Didn't Know

**Author's Note:**

> This really is a short one just to play around with some different characters. Don't know if I'll come back to it or not.

Tears slipped down Arthur’s cheeks as he held the lifeless body of his closest friend in his arms. Merlin lay still and pale as he clutched him tight, boneless like a puppet with its strings cut. It was impossible to believe that mere minutes ago, Merlin had shown himself to be the most powerful man on the battlefield. Blinding light had burst forth from his hand, severing Morgana’s forces and crippling the witch. For the first time, Arthur realised just how strong the man who had stood by his side all these years truly was. 

Then as the last of his foes fell, Merlin’s arm had faltered and he collapsed to the ground. A rogue arrow had pierced the defensive barrier Merlin had created and had embedded itself in his chest. Arthur barely had a chance to catch his friend before his head hit the stones below. As he fell, the light drained from his golden eyes and his face became dull, as if all the life had drained out of him in that single move. No amount of shaking or screaming his name had managed to rouse him. He was gone. Arthur was alone. 

He had stayed there, cradling Merlin in his arms for hours as the sun began its descent below the horizon. A cold breeze whipped across the open field, but Arthur couldn't bring himself to care. If Merlin was gone, what was the point? 

A sickening thought struck the young king suddenly. Their fight had been against Morgana and her sorcerers. If Merlin had been able to strike them down so easily, he had to have… 

But of course he did. 

Arthur blinked away tears as the realisation set in. His closest friend, the man he had trusted with his entire being, was a sorcerer. He had wielded magic as easily as breathing, it had seemed, had been totally comfortable with it. There was no other explanation for such a display of power. And Arthur had been trying all these years to eradicate his kind. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered to the prone form before him, brushing away a lock of hair. “I didn’t know. I thought I was doing the right thing for Camelot, for my people. But I wasn’t, was I? How could I when I couldn’t even do the right thing for my best friend? I’m so sorry, Merlin.”

He didn’t expect to be absolved of his crimes so easily, but he needed Merlin to hear it regardless. If only he’d been able to say these things before he’d gone. Arthur finally dragged his eyes to the arrow lodged in his chest. Merlin had been wearing no armour, there would have been no protection from such a blow. Blood oozed out around it, slow and sluggish. 

That gave Arthur pause. Shouldn’t the wound be bleeding a lot more than that? He had seen enough injuries on the battlefield to know that an arrow to the chest should have been lethal, should have bled profusely as the lifeforce left the body. And yet, the wound in Merlin’s chest looked like no wound he had seen before. It was neat and tight around the arrowhead, stopping the flow of blood before it could begin. 

Suddenly Merlin’s chest heaved and his eyes flew open. No longer were they the familiar blue Arthur had known all these years, now they were flaring gold like a coin glinting in the sun. Merlin didn’t seem to notice the king as he placed a hand around the shaft of the arrow and pulled, groaning as it pulled at muscle and skin. Blood pooled in his hand as he placed it over the wound, almost as if he was trying to push it back where it belonged. It spilled out around his fingers and Arthur watched in awe as the worst of the ragged wound which removing the arrow had left seemed to seal itself. He could still see the damage the arrow had caused, and as Merlin shifted in his arms he saw the wince of pain he gave, but the worst of it was gone. 

After a heavy minute of silence apart from Merlin’s pained breathing, the raven-haired man spoke. “You weren’t to know,” he said quietly, almost embarrassed. “I was afraid of your reaction if you found out, so I kept it hidden from you.” He looked up, the gold in his eyes slowly fading back to blue. “I’m sorry.”


End file.
